The present invention relates to a display mount and especially to display mounts adapted to support books and loose materials therein for rapid access to the supported items.
In the past, there have been a variety of U-shaped holders for sheet materials, such as envelopes, note paper, paper napkins, memo pads, calendars, and the like, but such holders generally have been constructed of stiff, cast metal or molded plastic shaped into their ultimate form at the point of fabrication. These type of holders present obvious storage and shipping problems which have been avoided by foldable shaped structures. However, foldable paper stock holders have not generally been successful because the cardboard and similar paper stock materials have a high degree of resiliency which tends to bend under stress and inasmuch as the hinges where the panels are folded do not hold heavy or larger items, such as small books and the like. The larger items, such as books, tend to both tilt over in U-shaped holders and also bend the hinges out of shape. Applicant's prior patent for a Foldable Sheet Holder, U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,582, of Nov. 9, 1965 shows a U-shaped holder for holding sheets of material which has a pair of upright panels which rotate on a base element such that the upright panels can be folded on a hinged area and collapsed for packing and shipping. However even so, this prior patent used a pair of panels for the upright portions to increase the strength of the U-shaped holder. Another of Applicant's patents which shows a U-shaped holder may be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,123 for a U-shaped holder which includes ductile hinges for positioning the U-shaped holder, along with a transparent banding to support a calendar or display on one side thereof. Other calendar mounts and the like which can hold a few envelopes or sheets or material can be seen in a wide variety of patents, such as Applicant's prior Pat. No. 4,696,118 for a Desk Calendar. Applicant also has a wide variety of patents extending over 50 years which relate to display mounts, desk calendars, and the like.
Typical display mounts for calendar pads and the like may be seen in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 2,355,706 for a display mount having a well in the face thereof for displaying materials such as calendar pads, and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,058,410 and 3,079,715 for an improved display mount structure and improved method for forming the display windows and display wells in display mount structures. In addition, my prior patents on displays and photomounts may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,216,582; 3,068,139; and 3,002,720, which includes my patent on an aluminum hinge which allows a supporting prop or other display mount supports to be mounted with a flexible hinged panel which stays in place without the use of interconnecting tongues, or the like. Other display mount patents of mine include a Display Mount Apparatus and Method, U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,399; a Display Mount, U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,883; a Display Mount and Method, U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,123; a Display Mount with Protected Thermometer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,733; a Display Mount and Method, U.S. Pat. No. 4,326,906; a Method of Making a Display Mount, U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,683; and a Method of Making a Hinged Display Mount, U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,643. In my prior Patent for Display Book Apparatus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,935, I combined a display and book combination which allowed a calendar to swing forward to give access for a phone or reference book. My U.S. Pat. No. 3,188,113 is for a Paper Holder with V-shaped pen receptacle, and like the present invention has a display mount with pencil or pen holder formed therein but supported in a manner different from the present invention and requires five panels and supports the pens with a V-shaped pair of panels below the pen holding apertures.
The present invention advantageously provides a display mount which will support larger items, such as books and materials, and which at the same time can be folded for packing and shipping while maintaining the lightweight of a paperboard desk top display mount using single panels. This display mount allows for calendar and advertising material to be displayed on a person's desk while at the same time supporting a commonly used book or large numbers of papers and envelopes and can be converted to a book end support and adds the strength to support the heavier upright material against the hinged areas as well as parallel upper surfaces or two panels and avoids falling over of the display. The display and support utilizes a combination of a shape to add greater strength to the structure against falling over as well as significantly improves the strength of the hinges against bending under the mass of the supported materials.